Rearranged

Book 4: The Plan

The girls filed out of the bride's house into the morning light, retracing their steps from the night before. The parade route was now replaced by the sights and sounds of India waking up. Along the side of the road, women unfurled burlap sacks and sculpted mounds of multicolored spices. Men with faces covered in foam sat in sidewalk barber chairs waiting for their morning shave. Chai wallas stirred their pots before the heat of the day stole their customers, and chickens that would not make it through the day flapped and crowed from their crates.

Neha was giddy, and it made Jenny nervous.

"We finally have our plan," Neha said, a skip in her step. "He practically handed it to us on a platter."

"He did?"

Neha gave her a patronizing look. "For being smart, sometimes you are really slow. But you're not blind. You know he was staring at you the whole wedding."

Jenny's stomach tightened. "A lot of people here stare at me here."

"True. But this was different. He was staring at you..." Neha paused, searching for the right word. "Longingly..." she finally said in a deep, dramatic voice.

"Oh please." Jenny's pulse beat against her bangles. "You are losing your mind."

"Perhaps, but listen. If he is into you - why shouldn't we use it to our advantage?"

Jenny's mind raced. How much did Neha know?

"Once my parents find out about his wandering eye, I'll be a free woman." Neha cackled like the cats fighting in the alleys.

Jenny stepped in front of Neha and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Do you hear yourself?" she asked. "I've never seen you like this."

"Well, I've never felt like this," Neha said, shaking free. "I'm desperate. The date is set. The dresses and the jewelry are bought. It's going to happen unless we stop it. Jen, please, just do this...for me."

And with that, Jenny was back in Mrs. Patel's shop, trying to navigate the fine line between best friend and outsider.

"I don't even know what this is," Jenny said, falling in line as they resumed walking.

Neha whispered in her ear. "A kiss."

"A what? No way."

"A small one. It doesn't have to be hot and steamy. You can just get your face really close to his if you can't stomach an actual kiss. Just make it close enough for my parents to see that something is going on."

"I can't," Jenny said, her voice quivering, hands shaking.

"Just one tiny kiss for my freedom," Neha pled.

Jenny kept walking.

"Listen, tomorrow night is the wedding reception. I'll get one of my aunties to tell him I want to talk to him alone, on the roof. We never did have our chaperoned alone time."

Not the roof. Anywhere but the roof.

"She'll leave him up there. Then you'll work your magic."

"I have no magic," Jenny said.

"It doesn't matter. I know his type - given the chance, he'll go for it. After a few minutes, I'll bring up my parents. We'll catch you in the act, and tell them he forced himself on you, of course."